Barrel-head fastener.



UNITED STATES PATENT orrrcn.

GEORGE LOUIS RICHARDS, OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD COM- MERCIAL COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

BARREL-HEAD FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1907.

' Application filed October 24, 1905. Serial lie. 284,247.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE LoUIs RICH- ARDS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Malden, in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Barrel-Head Fasteners, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is the construction of a fastening device for barrelheads capable of being driven down into the barrel-chimes substantially with the grain thereof and approximately at right angles to the barrel-head surface,'and which will at the same time have so strong a hold in the wood as to lock the barrel-head in place with the maximum of security.

It is self evident that fastening devices driven in with the grain of the wood pull out very easily. Especially is this true when the force to be resisted lies in the same direction. The consequence has been that inventors, in seeking the best method of fastening barrelheads 1n place, have made no attempt at devising fasteners to be used in such a manner, but have either constructed them to be driven into the barrel-staves parallel with the barrel-head surface, or have arranged them to engage the barrel-hoops. None of them have proved satisfactory, however, either because of lack of economy in,manufacture, difficulty in application, or insecurity in hold upon the barrel-head.

In the course of my experiments, I discovered that it was possible to drive a fastening device in with the grain of the staves,

and yet have it resist removal far more than,

any of the types offastening-devices which I had been able to subject to test. The first and most important feature of my discovery was that by having the outward pressure of the barrel-head resisted by a member or sec tion joined to the drive-section at an angle of approximately forty-five degrees, such a lateral'pressure is given to the latter as to greatly increase its frictional hold in the barrel-stave. I

My second improvement consists in so diverging the' directions of driving of the two drive-sections as to still further increase their lateral pressure against their confining wood-fibers.

A further improvement consists in forming each drive-section with a rearward bend at its upper portion disposed to more fully brace the same against the pressure given by the barrel-head.

My final improvement relates to means for enabling the fastening device to be more readily driven into the barrel stave by means of an ordinary hammer.

Referring to the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a portion of'a barrel showing one of my improved fastening devices in side view. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the fastening devices upon an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a side view of the same. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the device. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the device showing it driven into a barrel-stave and pressing upon the barrel-head.

The fastening device is formed from a length of suitable wire, the ends of which compose the drive-sections 1, the intermediate portion of which becomes the pressure- As shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the brace-seotions 3 descend from the upper ends of the drive-sections 1 at approximately forty-five degrees therewith, and present the pressurebar 4 to the barrel-head 12 at a substantial distance below the points where the drive-sections enter the chimes 11 of the barrel-staves 10. Consequently any outward movement given to the barrel-head acts against the pressure-bar 4 through the brace-sections 3 to force the upper part of the drive-sections back against the confining walls ofthe holes in which they have been driven. Hence, such pressure being a lateral instead of a longitudinal one, the fastening devices will not be started even when a heavy weight rests upon the barrel-head with the barrelupside down.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the upper ex-' tremities of the drive sections 1 are normally in contact, or nearly so, while their sharpened points are somewhat widely separated. By

means of this angular divergence, the points in the stave entered by one of the devices are much farther apart than the original distance between the upper extremities of the drive-sections. Further, as the drive-sections penetrate the wood they continue in the divergent directions in which they are started, thereby forcing them farther and farther apart. vice has been driven home, the drive-sections are so widely separated as to receive a powerful pressure one toward the other given by the resilient flexure of the pressurebar 4 and the brace-sections 3. This pressure still further increases the frictional resistance to the withdrawal of the fastening device.

By having the u per ends of the drive-sections thus normal y close together they are still near enough together when they have been nearly driven home to have both bends 5 come beneath the hammer used for the purpose. This permits of the device being driven in place with a single blow of an ordinary hammer, the same as a nail.

The rearward bends 2 at the upper ends of the drive-sections 1 act by the slight compression which they give to the wood-fibers behind them, and by the increased bracing action which they give to the push from the pressure-bar 4, to still further insure the fastening device from yielding and permitting the barrel-head to escape.

It should also be noted that by having the drive-sections comparatively long, the fastening device is not only made to be held more firmly in the wood, but the length permits of its being more conveniently grasped and held between the thumb and fingers of the left hand while being driven in lace. The devices which are designed to be riven horizontally through the barrel-staves must necessarily be rather short, and hence fail of both these desirable characteristics.

These fastening devices being formed from wire, and but a short length thereof at that, with a minimum number of bends, are economical to manufacture; and, as shown above, are convenient and easy to apply, with the maximum of staying ability.

What I claim as my invention and for which I desire Letters Patent is as follows, to wit i 1. The combination with a barrel, of a'barrel-head fastener constructed with a drivesection disposed for being driven into the barrel-chime substantially parallel with the grain of the wood; and a brace-section at the upper end of saiddrive-section arranged to brace between the upper surface of the barrelhead and the barrel-chime, and by such bracing action to aid said drive-section against removal from the chime into which it is Consequently when the delying in a plane at an angle with the drivesections; and the length of said drive-sections being a plural number of times longer than said brace-sections, in order that the former may securely hold their position.

3. A barrel-head fastening device consisting of a single length of wire the terminals of which compose the drive-sections, and the intermediate part of which is constructed to rest against the surface of the barrel-head; said drive-sections making an acute angle one with respect to the other.

4. A barrel-head fastening device constructed to be driven in with the grain of the barrel-staves; the same being formed from an elongated lengthof metal the terminals of which compose the drive-sections and the intermediate part of which is constructed to rest against the surface of the barrel-head; said drive-sections having their upper ends approximately in contact and their lower end separated to a substantial distance from each other.

5. A barrel-head fastening device con-' structed from a length of wire formed with drive-sections, pressure-bar, and brace-sections between the latter and said drive-sections; said drive-sections being in substantial contact at their upper ends but substantially separated at their lower ends.

6. A barrel-head fastening device constructed from a length of wire formed with drive-sections, pressure-bar, and brace-sections between thev latter and the drive-sec tions; the upper parts of the drive-sections being each given a backward bend.

7. A barrel-head fastening device constructed from a length of wire formed with drive-sections, pressure-bar and brace-sections between the latter and the drive-sections the drive-sections being in substantial contact at their upper ends.

8. A barrel-head fastening device constructed to be driven in with the grain of the barrel-staves; the same being formed from a single length of wire the terminal parts of which compose drive-sections, the central part is a pressure-bar, and the remainder of which are brace-sections extending from the In testimony that I claim the foregoing inlatter to the upper ends of the drive-sections Vention, I have hereunto set my hand this 10 atlangleslpf approiilimately forgty-ffive geigrees 21st day of October, 1905.

re ative t ereto; t eu er en so sai rivesections being substal it ially in contact and GEORGE LOUIS RICHARDS bent backward relative to the pressure-bar, Witnesses:

and the lower ends of the drive-sections being A. B. UPHAM, separated one from the other. FRED G. TIL'roN. 

